Hawkins v. Cohen (5:17-CV-581 E.D.N.C.) is a federal lawsuit filed in 2017 on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries in North Carolina. The case concerns improper terminations of Medicaid benefits.

The Court hearing the case has certified it as a class action. This means that the case is to help not just the people who filed the case but other Medicaid beneficiaries whose Medicaid has been or will be terminated improperly.

The Court has ordered the N.C. Medicaid agency to stop terminations or reductions of Medicaid benefits until eligibility under all Medicaid categories has been considered and advance notice of the right to a hearing has been mailed to you. For example, if you get Medicaid based on having a minor child who is turning eighteen years old, your county Department of Social Services must consider whether you are disabled before they stop your Medicaid.

If you have any questions about this lawsuit or about your rights, you may contact the attorneys who filed the case, the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy. You can reach these lawyers by calling this toll free number: 1-800-936-4971. You can also send the lawyers an email at Hawkinsinfo@charlottelegaladvocacy.org.

You also may contact these lawyers if you want to report that you lost your Medicaid without a decision that you were no longer eligible for Medicaid under any category or without receiving advance written notice that your Medicaid would stop. There is no cost to you for any help that these lawyers provide to you.